The Republican journal., 1887-12-29
Into the Wilds Of Maine,

are 10 camps in that vicinity but the party
went prepared for such emergencies, and had
good canvas tent and Il sheet iron stove. The
| guide SAID the four miles of road from Cram
| berry Lake to the Sabio was worse than any
yet encountered, and that it was not prudent
to attempt the trip with such heavily laden
| team. Again, it was too late in the season to
| camp out under canvas. AS last resort the
company chose the comfortable loggers' camp
on the beautiful Cranberry Lake, and before
| the close of the hunt were satisfied with the
wisdom of the choice, as the heavy rain of
! Tuesday, Nov. 18th, would have made life
under canvas tent almost uncomfortable.
Belfast people will recall the day and storm as
the one in which the dam of the Belfast Water
Works at Little River was swept away. From
| the best information obtainabe l am satisfied
that the territory in and about the Sabio affords
| the finest hunting ground to be found in WASH
ington county. This is due to the fact that the
| place is so inaccessible that comparatively few
| sportSlnen 90 there, hence the deer breed and
rear their young in almost perfect security
Next season Mr.. CorIi.s will build large
| hunters camp on the borders of the Sabio. 1t
| IL
ture bedding, provisions, and in fact everything
for the comfort and convenience of sportsmen
and parties will be taken in and out of the woods
at short notice. Mr.. Coriss will act as guide
for the sportsmen, and will warrant a full
| complement of game. All the hunters need
carry is rifle and ammunition. For this the
sportsman pays SO much per day. With these
| n,l ,I,n p;,I. |,
of Mr.. CorliS>, the Sahio will become a hunt
ers' paradise.
Game was not plentiful in the vicinity of the
camp, the hunting grounds proper being on
| Fifth Lake Mountain, some five or six miles
distant. To reach this ground the lake had to
be crossed to the outlet, and Crooked river
navigated to a point where raft of logs block
AIDED the stream just below its junction with
| >abo river Crooked river is. as its name I'M
| plies, very crooked. 1t is narrow, sluggish,
| and for Il portion of the way winds through
| forest, the branches of trees almost forming
canopy overhead. The sail down is romantic
| i'll the extreme. The only thing to break the
| monotony is the occasional leap of a pckerel
| from the nurky waters, the snort of a deer on
| the banks. or the flight Of a heron 1t is about
| two miles from the river to the mountain, and
| near the river the ground is low and swampy.
| 10 reach the hunting grounds an early start
| must be made. The deer is night feeder and
| if YOU wish to hunt him successfully YOU must
| be on the grounds just the light Of the stars
| pafes before the dawn of the approaching day.
| The passage across the lake and down the river
| is made in a canoe. the property of Mr.. Fisher,
| of Winterport, but in the care of cur guide.
| The canoe is made of canvas and somewhat re-
| Scmhle> that marine monstro>ity depicted on
| the drop curtain at the Belfast Opera House.
| This craft is n ticksh thing and aS uncertain
| in its movements As the independent voter or
| the Massachusetts mugwump, and must be
| handled with care. The man who plies the
| after paddle and guides the canoe sits on n
| cross bar or thwart. while the forward padcr
| occupies most reyercntial posturc-upon his
| bended knees. The other occupants sit or lie
| flat upon the bottom .i~ each one took his
turn at the paddle, it is safe to say some menu
bers of the Belfast party spent more time on
their Knees than in any previous poriodof their
existence.
Monday morning the party rose at three
O'Clock. ate Il ha>ty breakfast. and with
smoked herring and a couple of trucks of
harlbrcad in their pockets for lunch started
ont for Fifth Lake Mountain. Reaching the
hunting grounds the party divided each per-
son going by himself and all agreeing to meet
on the mountain top. The growth near the
! river is evergreen trees, while those on the
>i,les of the mountain are dcciduOuS. A per-
son can walk almost noiSclessly through the
former, hut not 50 the latter. The leaves lie
thick and cri>py upon the ground, and step
never so lightly You can he heard long dis
tancc. The deer is keen Of scent and hearing.
and almost invariably hears You hcfore you
can hear Or see HIM You tramp rs no>cle>>y
4, possible. pccrnE about in all dirertion>
when noise StartIcS you. Bringing Your rifle
to your face, YOU bring it to bear upon deer
Just as he yani>hes from sight. 'Iunning like
a deer is a phrase often used to indicate great
speed. Deer doubtless run rapidly when per-
sued hy dog, but it is a mistake to say they
run fast or far when started up in the forest.
With his tail erect the deer starts at dog trot.
He is quick in his movements and will jump
aside or dodge around bush or tree, and from
a secure distance watch the hallled sportsman.
To hunt successfully YOU must be quick to take
a snap shot, aud not Get nervous at he sight Of
game. ''Ruck ague'' is a maady which often
scizc> the sportsman when the fine head and
antlers of buck are presented to his view.
Each person on Monday saw at least haIf 4
dozen deer anl several shots were fired, but no
game was killed. Bear signs We're numerous,
in,
that day we passed through forests in their
primitive state, untouched by the axe Of the
umbcrman. At midday the lunch of herring
and haritaeh was eaten beside Il lonely brook
that danced down the mountain side and
through the silent forest. In his tramp the
writer found the carcass of dead deer beside
a large windfa. I he animal had been shot
through the body and had escaped the hunter
to die unseen. Unless shot in viGal part a
deer will run n long distance, but will cvent-
ualv die. We cut hoof from the hind foot
of the deer and told the company of a wonder =
full shot mat,e At a running doe. by which
hoof was shot off. and presented the hoof as
proof Such evidence would have been con-
elusive with some jureS, but the Belfa>ters did
not swallow the story. and You are liar
was the only response to the story. At dark
the hunters returned to the camp, tired and
hungry. a kettle of boiled potatoes, stripped
fish, hard tack, tea and coffee, We're eaten with
a hearty relish.
| want to puncture here the oft-repeated eX-
preston, 'That no food tastes so good as the
food of our mothers" That is all nonsense.
and a libel upon the women of the present
age. The women of to-day are better cooks
than the women of the past generation; they
have better cooking apparatus, better material,
and better everything. The women of to-day
can prepare food in such Il manner that it
would astonish our grandmothers. The old
time tin baker that sat before the open fire.
place has given way to ranges such as our
mothers had no conception of. The reason
why food does not taste as good now as it did
in our boyhood days, is because we have not
the appetite to enjoy it. \ good illustration is
the story of the nobleman who met an Irish
tenant early iii the morning, Good morning
Patrick" said the noblcman. "Good morning,
me Lord" said Pat. "You are out early:'
''Same to yerself." SIN taking a walk to get
an appetite for my breakfast" said the noble
man. ''Be gorra," said Pat, "rm taking
walk to get a breakfast for me appetite" Pco-